Driving a car or other vehicle safely requires the driver to constantly be able to see other vehicles, objects and pedestrians. This is often difficult since a car has many blind-spots, and the driver generally is facing forward with limited ability to turn around and view surrounding areas. One situation where a driver's limited field of vision presents an especially acute problem is when pulling out of a parking spot. When a driver needs to back out of a parking space in which he or she is parked face-forward between two other vehicles, especially when those vehicles are large in size, the driver has no ability to see laterally to either side of the rear portion of his or her vehicle to determine if there are pedestrians or other vehicles about to cross into his or her path. Often, most drivers in this situation simply back out slowly in an attempt to alert pedestrians and other cars of the vehicle's presence. This method is fraught with danger. It is often the case that pedestrians walking through a parking lot simply do not see a car as it backs out. The same is the case for another vehicle or a bike which might be passing quickly behind the driver's vehicle as he or she backs out. In all of these cases, it is the parked vehicle's driver who is responsible for insuring that his or her car does not strike a pedestrian or vehicle. In order to be sure that a pedestrian or vehicle is not approaching, the driver must be able to see laterally from a rear portion of the driver's vehicle.
Positioning a lateral-view mirror on a top surface of a rear portion of a vehicle is one way to assist a driver to be able to see objects positioned lateral to a rear end of a vehicle. However, some drivers may not prefer, for aesthetic reasons, to place a lateral view mirror on a top surface of a rear portion of a vehicle.
Thus, a need existed for a lateral-view mirror assembly coupled to a rear window of a vehicle, and in a line of sight with a car's rear-view mirror, and dimensioned to allow a driver to view people, vehicles, and other objects positioned lateral to a rear portion of the vehicle.